Alternative to Windows 8 Media Center

Posted on by

With the rise of Windows 8 becoming a standard for new PCs and laptops, users still have trouble with DVD and Blu-Ray playback. The reasoning behind is that Windows 8 doesn’t support DVD and Blu-Ray playback unless you pay a little extra for the Media Center edition. But who wants to pay more when you can get your hands on a free alternative? So below we have included a quick comparison between both Win8DVD and Media Center.

Windows Media Center

Windows 8 introduces Windows Media Center to allow its users to watch, listen and view media from their own PC or laptop as well as having the ability to share it to other Media Center users. With a new sleek design compared to Windows Media Player it is designed to really take over the screen and immerse the user with their own media. It doesn’t stop there though, if the users PC is capable of supporting TV tuners, Media Center can be used to watch live TV. It’s a really good idea from Microsoft but only allowing Media Player to be available on the top-end version of Windows 8 and not supporting DVD or Blu-ray playback otherwise, seems an odd decision.

Win8DVD

Unlike Windows Media Center Win8DVD is a free media player designed for Windows 8 from Media Player Classic Home Cinema. Created from open source software, we wanted to make it available to everyone. Win8DVD supports all file types including DVD and Blu-ray, giving the user the best experience possible with a simple interface that doesn’t detract from your favourite film. Available to all versions of Windows 8 as well as previous versions of Windows (XP, Vista & 7) meaning that there is no need for an upgrade.

To Conclude… 

Depending on if you want to use a third-party software to play your DVDs and Blu-Rays or you want a Windows products, that’s for you to decide but if you can get something for free that does the same job, why pay? It’s a great alternative to Windows 8 Media Center.

Want to download Win8DVD? Download here!